Who Does What? The Employee Job Description
What do you believe are the essential components of an employee job description that ensure roles and responsibilities are realized, expectations are met and the organizational chart is followed?
I have enjoyed reading everyone's post on this question and expanded my understanding of the topic significantly from reading all the posts. Some of my ideas are gleaned from fellow students in this forum. The essential components of an employee job description are:
1. Educational requirements for the position
2. Well defined list of general responsibilities
3. Timelines of when specific tasks are due
4. Special demands such as occasional travel or heavy lifting
5. Expectations of dress code, language and conduct
6. Pay-grade, hours, and supervisor
It is my belief that essential components of an employee job description are both the scope and detail pertaining within it. I feel, that each job description should provide a full or comprehensive illustrations of task and requirements along with the roles and responsibilities for that position. Additionally, I would recommend that each employee should be required to read and sign their Job Description during their onboarding orientation for clarity and understanding and it should be kept filed in the Human Resources division.
"Its not in the Description"
I believe the most important points in the 'job description' are inclusion of the 'measurements' used to evaluate skill and proficiency of descriptors; and, 'actions taken on measurements.'
Employees usually have an intuitive picture of the roles and responsibilities they may have when commencing employment...so any manual is often read superficially. However, when obvious and bold statements are placed that include the specific criteria used for evaluation, employees seem to intuitively have more caution to read and 'meet' those expectations. Especially, when actions taken on those outcomes are clearly stated.
Roselyn,
Good points. One way to fine tune job descriptions is to ask everyone to write their own plus for anyone they supervise. Create a template so each person can write who they report to, who they supervise, their daily, weekly, monthly tasks, etc. and any forms of assessment to determine how they are doing. When you compare it is shocking and amazing the difference in job perception. Given this exercise it is possible to create realistic job descriptions and also eliminate any duplication in task performance. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Most job descriptions are vague, but I believe that they need to be specific in listing the things the employer expects so that an employee and their supervisor can know when an employee is being effective as opposed to ineffective. If an employer is not specific in their task list then how can they penalize an employee that deviates when they had no path to follow
Hiram,
Yes, job descriptions have to be clear and measurable. Employees want to know what they can and cannot do and how they will be evaluated. When there is a general "non" job description it is important to go to the employer for clarification. Sometimes it takes a bit of coaching and even providing a job description for the employer to ok or add to or change. Whatever it takes to get a complete job description is important. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I agree that "all other duties assigned" is a great scape goat but employers shouldn't take advantage of the quote and be as detailed as possible when it has to do with the Job Description.
Lazara,
Interesting point. We find that an interesting exercise for Team meetings is to ask everyone on staff to draw an organization chart and show where they fit in. It is quite amazing how many different org charts the employees of one school can create. Many are consistently unaware of who they report to. Often two people will work on one task and very often things simply don't get done. It is all because people just don't know what their job is and don't ask. Try the exercise. It is very eye opening. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I believe the essential components are the day to day duties such as reports should be outlined. Also knowing that you will need to have a flexible schedule. Who you ultimately report to. Chain of command. Basically understanding that just because it's not written doesn't mean you don't have to do it.
Deirdre,
We also agree. Every employee needs to know, in writing, what they are supposed to do and how they are measured and who they report to. It is an interesting exercise when you ask everyone on staff to draw an organization chart and where they fit it. It is kind of scary to discover that few org charts come out the same in one school. Often two or more people are doing the same tasks and some jobs aren't getting any attention. Try it! Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Each employee needs to have a well defined description of what there job responsibilities are and who they directly report to. As far as the essential components are concerned, it varies depending on the job title.
Lea,
This sounds great. Of most importance, it works for your school! Once figured out and worked, the job description methodology can be effective! We think that constantly checking with the employee is another way to keep the job descriptions relevant. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
PARIS,
We agree. We also think job descriptions should have expectations re ability to innovate, create, handle problems, work with others, handle stress, see trends, and more. Also what does the person need to help out with other tasks at the institution (outside of their department) and work with students effectively. Sometimes the best job descriptions are those written by the person holding the job. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I beleive that an effective job description should include:
detailed list of specific duties
daily, weekly, monthly goals
expectations for different levels (acceptable, met, exceeded, etc.)
tied to annual reviw measurements
how the position interacts/aligns to other departments/positions
CHECKLIST
We have been working diligently on updating our job descriptions to include:
1. Qualifications required for the job
2.Prerequisites
3.Duties
4.A signed copy of the Faculty/Staff Handbook stating compliance.
5.Instructor ranking, tier, and wage.
6.Staff -wage
7. Who to report to
This has limited confusion on what is expected from faculty regarding duties, policies/procedures, and organization.
marissa,
This is a great start. Getting the right candidates when hiring is always a challenge. We like to get many people involved in the job description and search process. What are the skills needed? What knowledge and experience does the candidate have to have? How will the person fit into the culture and values of the school? There is a lot more to hiring someone than a checklist of what they can do. You might want to consider who will interview the candidates and what they will look for. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Looking for the right candidate can take a great deal of time and effort. In order to begin that journey one must know what the essential components are for the position they are seeking to fill. Being very clear in the job positing of the description is crucial. Some of these are:
Work schedule (days/hours)
Job responsibilities
Goals/objectives
Experience or job requirements
Andrew,
Good points. We go back and forth about job descriptions and how detailed they should be. Sometimes the job description is really about providing hiring guidelines. Once the "right" person is hired, then we think the measurable tasks and objectives need to be spelled out and the formal policies and procedures presented. Sometimes we think that after that the new hire should be left to create the ways to accomplish the tasks. Sometimes they can think of better ways. Sometimes they suggest additional tasks they can work on. It's an interesting process and doesn't work for everyone! Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
i agree with this response. Job descriptions should be detailed but not long winded. They should also say something to the effect of not limited to the above tasks. This allows for teamwork.
